Heero's Letter
by KD Barton
Summary: Heero and Relena get in a fight before he goes off on a mission. He is captured and writes her a letter, to be delivered by two young girls... HYxRP


Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the characters associated  
with it! I do own Alexandra and Tiegan so no stealing! Happy reading!  
  
Heero's Letter  
  
Hot tears stung the back of Relena Peacecraft's eyes. She stared at the dark-haired pilot of Wing and held them back. Everything had been going so well, until now. She and Heero had finally started getting along, and she thought she was at last breaking through his rough outer shell. Yet the past few weeks seemed had to have disappeared, and now he stood facing her with a look of contempt. She didn't understand why this mission was so important to him. She recalled his reply when she asked him not to go. He had been gathering the last few things he needed before he left.  
  
"Why can't you stay here, Heero?" she had asked. "Is this mission really that important?"  
  
"Of course it's important," he had replied. "Just like every other one I've been on."  
  
"But this one's different," she had pressed on. "Why won't you tell me anything about it? Is it really that dangerous?  
  
"All my missions are dangerous, Relena," he had said. "What's so different about this one?"  
  
"I don't know, I'm just worried about you!"  
  
"Why?!" he had finally exploded. "Why do you care about me anyway?! I'm just another soldier, another casualty of war!"  
  
"No you're not! I can see right through you, Heero Yuy, and I see a boy who's afraid of love because he's scared he might lose it, like everything else!"  
  
Relena could tell her words had hit home, cut through him like a knife. She waited uneasily for his next words. He turned to face her, staring coldly.  
  
"How dare you assume to know how I feel?" he whispered, though his tone was deadly. "Maybe I have lost everything in my life but love has nothing to do with it! You with your perfect life, princess, have no idea what it's like for me, so don't even pretend you understand."  
  
Heero's words cut Relena just as deep as she knew hers had. Slowly she looked down, having nothing to say.  
  
"That's what I thought," said Heero, turning on his heel and walking away. He jumped up into his gundam and prepared to take off. And, for the first time since Relena could remember, she didn't wave goodbye.  
  
* * *  
  
Relena sat in her room on the window seat, sunlight streaming in. Sighing, she put down the book she had been reading. She just couldn't seem to concentrate on it. It had been a week since the boys left and Heero was constantly in her thoughts. She replayed the last few minutes before he left over and over again in her mind. Relena couldn't understand why he thought her life was perfect. Her family was killed when she was little, then her adoptive father, on his deathbed, had finally told her the truth. Her brother, Zechs, had been through rough times. Her life was nothing like the life of a princess.  
  
"You're wrong, Heero," she said outloud. "You know nothing about me." Yet try as she might, she couldn't be mad at him. She knew he'd had a rough life, too. She also knew it was going to take time before he could understand his own feelings.  
  
Suddenly a car pulled into the driveway. Relena's heart skipped a beat as she recognized the boys' suburban. She jumped up and ran down the stairs and out the door. She watched as Duo, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei got out. Fear gripped her when Heero did not appear as well. Duo waved slightly and the boys approached her.  
  
"Where's Heero?" she asked, afraid for the answer. Wufei gazed off in the opposite direction, arms folded. Trowa stared at the ground, and Duo looked away. Finally Quatre met her eyes.  
  
"Relena." he began.  
  
"Where is he?!" she demanded, becoming frantic.  
  
"We don't know," Quatre said quickly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Relena asked, more calmly.  
  
"We were separated in battle," replied Duo, looking up. "And we haven't been able to track him down since. I.we.hope he's okay."  
  
Relena bit her lip as thoughts raced through her mind. Heero, lost? Separated in battle? What did that mean, exactly? Her thoughts were cut short as Quatre put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Now, don't jump to conclusions," he said gently. "I'm sure he's alright, just a little slow coming home."  
  
"But what if he's hurt somewhere with no one to help him?!" Relena cried out. "What if OZ captured him? What if."  
  
"Relena." Quatre began, trying to soothe her. But she ignored him.  
  
"What if he's being tortured by OZ?! What if he's dead?!" she cried.  
  
"Relena!" Wufei spoke sharply. "There is no need to become hysterical," he said evenly. "That will not solve the problem at hand. Right now we're working on tracking him down. Hopefully we'll hear from him soon. Don't worry."  
  
Relena was slightly surprised to hear Wufei speak to her kindly. She nodded, taking a deep breath to calm down.  
  
"C'mon, let's go inside," said Quatre, putting an arm over her shoulder and leading her into her house.  
  
* * *  
  
Heero cringed as he was shoved roughly into an office. He was surrounded by OZ officers.  
  
"Your Excellency Treize," said one of them. "We have captured the gundam pilot of 01."  
  
The large office chair swiveled around and Treize Khushrenada stood up. "Well well," he sneered. "Not so brave now, are we?" Heero just glared. "Throw him in a cell for now," Treize commanded. "I'll question him later."  
  
"Sir!" said the officer and turned Heero around. He led him outside and into a prison building. He spoke briefly with the jail keeper then directed Heero to a cell at the end of the hall. He threw him to the ground and slammed the door.  
  
Heero lay on the cold floor for a long time. Eventually he got up and surveyed his surroundings. He was in a small room with a barred window to the outside and a small one on the door. Otherwise the room was completely empty. Heero sighed and angrily kicked the wall. How could he have let himself be captured? At least he'd managed to self-destruct his gundam beforehand.  
  
"OZ will get nothing out of me," Heero said bitterly. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a single piece of paper and began to write.  
  
* * *  
  
Alexandra and Tiegan were best friends. They had been since they were toddlers. Now both seven years old, the two girls shared many things in common: their curiosity, love for the outdoors, and adventurous but mischievous nature.  
  
"Let's go to the park," Alexandra said one morning as she waited impatiently for Tiegan to finish breakfast. Tiegan nodded between mouthfuls of cereal. She swallowed the rest of her juice and pushed back her chair.  
  
"Mom, I'm going to the park with Alex!" she called.  
  
"Okay!" shouted her mother from upstairs where she was tending to Tiegan's little brother. "Be careful!"  
  
"Yes, mom!" the two girls chorused. That's what Tiegan's mom said every time they went to the park. And that's what the girls' replied every time they heard that. Tiegan's mother called Alex her surrogate daughter, and vice-versa.  
  
Tiegan pushed open the screen door and the two girls headed across the street and ran across the field to the playground. They both walked toward the tire swing, as was tradition, and whirled around and around until they fell over in the grass, waiting for world to stop spinning. Tiegan got up suddenly and climbed to the highest tower in the playground. Alexandra followed suit.  
  
"Whatcha doing?" asked Alex. Tiegan folded her arms on the railing and rested her head on her arms. She stared off in the direction of the ocean.  
  
"Looking at that place," she replied, pointing to the military base stationed on the coast, about a half-mile away. Alex followed her gaze. It was a formidable place, surrounded by a high electric wire fence and stock full of dangerous weapons. "I wonder what it's like inside," Tiegan said.  
  
"Yeah," said Alex.  
  
"Let's go there someday," Tiegan continued.  
  
Alexandra was silent.  
  
"I don't mean today!" exclaimed Tiegan.  
  
"Why not?" asked Alexandra. "We'll just go look at it."  
  
"Are you crazy?!" Tiegan shouted. "They'll probably kill us!"  
  
Alex just started laughing.  
  
"What?!" Tiegan demanded, a dangerous tone in her voice.  
  
"Nothing," Alex said between laughs. "You just sounded so funny! And the other thing is, I know you really want to go."  
  
"Excuse me?" asked Tiegan. "And where did you get that idea?"  
  
"I just know you too well," Alex dissolved into giggles once more. Tiegan rolled her eyes but quickly caught on to Alex's contagious laughter.  
  
"No, really," Alex said in a few minutes. "We should go there."  
  
Tiegan took on a serious tone. "How would we get in?"  
  
"I dunno," Alex responded. "We can just play it by ear."  
  
"What if we get caught?" asked Tiegan.  
  
"Then we just play the innocent curious little kid," Alex replied with a grin.  
  
"Our parents are going to kill us," Tiegan observed.  
  
"Only if they find out," Alex countered.  
  
Tiegan sighed. "All right, let's go."  
  
* * *  
  
Alexandra and Tiegan reached the compound in about fifteen minutes. The gates, as expected, were closed.  
  
"Now what, O bright one?" asked Tiegan.  
  
Alex rolled her eyes. "We wait for someone to come and see if we can get in with them." She took Tiegan's hand and led her behind a large oak tree close by the entrance.  
  
"And how long will that be?!" demanded Tiegan. Just then an army truck pulled up to the gate. Alex looked at her with satisfaction.  
  
"Now's our chance!" she said. "Follow me!"  
  
"Alex, wait." But Tiegan soon saw she had no choice but to go. A man inside the base opened the gates and began talking to the man in the truck. They must have been good friends for they talked for a while. This was the perfect opportunity for Alexandra and Tiegan to get in. They crept in the gate on the other side of the truck, then took off for some barrels. Alex and Tiegan ducked down behind them, breathing hard.  
  
"There, was that so hard?" asked Alex.  
  
Tiegan sighed, then smiled at her friend. "You're crazy," she grinned, pushing her over.  
  
"Hey!" Alex exclaimed, but smiling as well. "Just as crazy as."  
  
"Shh!" Tiegan hissed, clamping a hand over Alexandra's mouth. A pair of soldiers walked close by their hiding place. Luckily, they didn't see the two girls crouching behind the barrels.  
  
Just then the men at the entrance finally stopped chatting. The truck pulled into the compound and the gate shut.  
  
"Looks like we're stuck here for a while," Alex said in a low voice.  
  
"Then we might as well look around," whispered Tiegan. Alex nodded and grinned. The two girls slowly rose from their hiding place, scanning the area. They didn't see anyone in the vicinity at the moment. Alex and Tiegan began walking.  
  
Ducking soldiers as they went, they stopped first at the largest building. They peered into the windows. There was a multitude of military men and women doing various tasks. Suddenly one looked their way. They pointed at the girls and mouthed something to someone nearby.  
  
"Yikes!" yelped Alex. She grabbed Tiegan's shirt and took off around the corner. The two ran straight into the airfield. There were planes scattered everywhere of every shape and size. Tiegan grabbed a hold of Alex's shirt and veered off in the direction of the largest one in sight. So large, in fact, that they could hide behind its wheels. Alexandra and Tiegan peered around the side to see if someone was coming. They saw three green berets come into the airfield. The group stopped and scanned the area, then began checking individual planes nearby.  
  
"We need to get out of here," whispered Tiegan.  
  
"No duh," replied Alex. "Let's plane-hop." Tiegan nodded. When all three soldiers were looking the other way, they ran to a new plane and hid behind it. The girls continued in this manner until they were at the other side of the airfield. They dashed from the last plane to the nearest building and went around the back. There was no one in sight. The two sat down to rest.  
  
"That was close," said Alex, breathless  
  
"Yeah," replied Tiegan, equally winded. "So where are we now?"  
  
"Far from the entrance, which is where we want to be," answered Alex.  
  
Tiegan raised an eyebrow. "We just got here, and now you want to leave?" she asked in mock surprise.  
  
Alex glared, then asked: "Well do you want to stay here?"  
  
Tiegan smiled and stood up. "After you," she said.  
  
Alex smirked and stood up. "No, after you," she replied. The two girls laughed and linked arms to begin a harrowing journey back out of the base.  
  
* * *  
  
Heero stared at the letter in his hand and re-read it for the eight- hundredth time. Sighing, he paused and looked up and out the window. He'd been in the cell for three days and no one had come to get him, much less interrogate him as promised. The sun shined through the bars and onto the floor beside him. Heero looked at the letter one last time and folded it in three. But how was he ever going to send it?  
  
Heero put the pencil back in his pocket and stood up, letting the few rays of sun shine on his back. Suddenly he thought he heard voices. Cocking his head, he listened to see which direction they were coming from. They sounded like they were coming from outside his window. Heero walked over to his lone window and peered between the bars. Was that two little girls walking in his direction?  
  
"What on earth are they doing here?" he muttered to himself. "But if only I can get their attention. This could be the chance I need, and probably the only chance I'll get." Heero knew that even if he got their attention, the chances were very slim that they'd even agree to send his letter, much less get it to the recipient. Yet he knew he had to try. When they got within earshot, Heero leaned as far as he could outside.  
  
"Little girls," he called.  
  
* * *  
  
Alexandra and Tiegan were constantly on alert on their way back to the front gate. Several times they were forced to run and hide behind the nearest object large enough to cover them and wait for soldier to pass by and out of sight. They had made it about halfway back when Tiegan stopped suddenly. They were near a squat, ugly stone building that looked rather foreboding.  
  
"What?" asked Alex, tugging on Tiegan's arm. Tiegan put a finger to her lips to silence her companion. Then Alex heard it, too; a voice, coming from the building. Slowly the two girls turned to look. They both jumped at the sight of an arm protruding from one of the ugly building's windows. Tiegan turned to run but Alex held her ground, staring curiously. Tiegan had run about twenty feet when she realized Alex was not coming. She looked back. Alex, in fact, was going closer to the window!  
  
"Alex!" Tiegan hissed, jogging back. "What are you doing?! We're going to get caught!"  
  
Yet Alex completely ignored her. She continued on towards the voice calling them over.  
  
"Little girls," it said. By then Tiegan had caught up with Alex. She grabbed her arm. "Come on," she whispered, a little fearfully.  
  
"Just wait," replied Alex. "I don't think this person is going to catch us," Alex reasoned. "He, or she, is the one caught." The two girls approached the building, but they couldn't see in the window.  
  
"Here, boost me up," said Alex. Tiegan obediently got down on her knees. Alex climbed up on her shoulders. Swaying, Tiegan slowly stood up. Alex grabbed the window ledge to steady herself. She peered into the window.  
  
A pair of dark eyes met her gaze. Alex gasped, startled, though it was what she expected. She cocked her head.  
  
"Hi!" she said.  
  
* * *  
  
Heero watched triumphantly as the two girls he had called heard him and made their way over to his lone window. He waited impatiently for one of them to get on the shoulders of the other. The girl whose face appeared at his window gasped slightly upon seeing him. Heero realized that he must look a mess and probably a little intimidating to a girl who looked no more than eight years old. But the girl smiled brightly.  
  
"Hi!" she said, a little too loudly. Heero cringed and put a finger to his lips, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was coming.  
  
"Sorry," the girl whispered. "I'm Alex, and that's Tiegan down below me," she introduced herself.  
  
"I'd be better off not telling you my name," replied Heero. "But I could use your help." Alex nodded. "I need you to deliver a letter for me. Do you know who Relena Peacecraft is?"  
  
"The princess?" asked Alex, surprised. "Of course."  
  
"Good. Do you think you could get this to her somehow?" Heero pushed the letter out between the iron bars, and looked behind him again anxiously.  
  
Alex picked it up. "I'll sure try, though we've got to get ourselves out of here first without getting caught," she replied.  
  
"You're not supposed to be here?" asked Heero, slightly surprised. "When I saw you two I just assumed you were someone's daughters. What are you doing here?"  
  
Alex laughed sheepishly. "Let's just say we've got a curious nature and a knack for getting into tight places."  
  
Heero nodded. "Then you'd better hurry. Oh, and arigatou."  
  
Alex simply nodded and smiled. Tiegan chose that moment to collapse. Alex tumbled to the ground.  
  
"Man!" Tiegan gasped. "Next time, I'm on the top!"  
  
Alex grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Could you hear us?"  
  
"Sort of," she replied.  
  
"Well, c'mon, we've got to get out of here," Alex said, springing up and taking Tiegan by the hand. "I'll fill you in on the way." Clutching the letter tightly, Alex walked quickly towards the entrance.  
  
Heero watched the girls until they were out of sight. He had been surprised at Alex's maturity but still couldn't believe they'd snuck into a military compound. Crossing his fingers, Heero prayed the letter would reach Relena somehow.  
  
* * *  
  
"The Relena Peacecraft?" repeated Tiegan incredulously. "What possible connections could a guy in a military prison have with the princess?"  
  
"I dunno," replied Alex. The two girls had made it more than halfway back, and they could see the entrance clearly. "Maybe it's a letter asking to be let out. She probably has authority over this base."  
  
"Maybe," said Tiegan. She pulled Alex behind a building as a pair of soldiers walked by. When they were out of sight the girls resumed walking. "So how are we going to get this to her?"  
  
"I haven't thought of that yet," Alex answered. "But I'm working on it."  
  
"You mean we can't just put a stamp on it and mail it?" asked Tiegan sarcastically. She knew that Alex would never vie for that. She was way too adventurous to do something that simple.  
  
"No way!" exclaimed Alex. "We've got to get it to her.on a more personal level." She and Tiegan reached the entrance and hid behind the same barrels they had when they had come in. It took a little longer this time for someone to come, but when it did, Alexandra and Tiegan were off like a shot. They didn't stop running until they reached the playground.  
  
Both girls collapsed on the grass when they reached the park. They didn't move for at least ten minutes.  
  
"We're.never.doing.that.again!" Tiegan gasped. Alexandra just laughed.  
  
* * *  
  
"I swore I'd never go on one of your expeditions again, and yet here I am," mumbled Tiegan as she stood Alexandra's shoulders and pulled herself into a large oak tree on the Peacecraft estate. "How does this happen?"  
  
Alex squinted up at her and giggled. " 'Cause you're my best friend," she replied. "And you're good at climbing trees. Now hurry up!" Alex handed her the letter. It was the day after their adventure at the military base and Alex had decided that she wanted to put the letter on Relena's windowsill. There was a large oak tree outside Relena's second-floor bedroom, and the window was open today. After scoping out the place with binoculars Alexandra and Tiegan had snuck their way onto the Peacecraft's property.  
  
"Yes, master," grumbled Tiegan. She put the letter delicately between her lips and began scaling the tree. Alex watched her go - she was really very good at it and made it to the window in less than thirty seconds. Tiegan slowly inched her way out on the limb closest to the open window. She had to stop about four feet away from it because the branch was no longer thick enough to hold her weight. Holding the letter like a Frisbee, Tiegan tossed it gently in the window. It landed on the sill but then dropped to the floor in Relena's room. Tiegan gave a thumbs-up to Alex and quickly made her way back down the tree.  
  
"It fell to the floor but that's okay - that way it won't get blown away by the wind," Tiegan reported.  
  
Alex nodded in satisfaction. "Let's go."  
  
* * *  
  
Relena stared into the mirror as she finished the last braid and tied them behind her head. It was a week after the boys had returned, and there was still no sign of Heero. Relena turned off the light as she left the bathroom and went into her own room. The sun was shining and the sky was blue but she'd been depressed ever since he'd left two weeks ago. She just wished that she could erase that day.  
  
As Relena straightened the comforter on her bed, a piece of paper caught her eye. It was lying just beneath her window. Curious, she picked it up, and turned it over. Relena gasped. Her name was on the front. Slowly she opened it, and began to read:  
  
I'm sorry for everything I've said,  
And for anything I forgot to say, too.  
When things get so complicated,  
I stumble at best, muddle through.  
I wish that our lives could be simple,  
I don't want the world - only you.  
I wish I could tell you this face to face,  
But there's never the time, never the place.  
So this letter will have to do  
Aishiteru.  
  
~Heero  
  
Tears filled Relena's eyes as she finished, unbelieving. How had the letter gotten here? Through her window, no less. It's as if.as if an angel sent it, Relena thought. She wiped the tears from her face and looked out the window at the bright azure sky. I love you too, Heero, Relena said to herself. But will I ever see you again?  
  
* * *  
  
Four days later dawned dark and ominous of an approaching storm. True to its word, the rain began before ten and the thunder rumbled loudly outside the Peacecraft house. Unable to concentrate, Relena capped the pen she had been using to write an English essay and sauntered out of her room. She glanced out a window in the hallway. The lightning and thunder had been brief but the rain continued its steady downpour. Relena sighed and went into a guest room and flopped down on the bed. She picked up the remote from the nightstand and switched on the T.V. Finding nothing good on, Relena rolled to her side and stared at the wall. Soon she was fast asleep.  
  
When Relena awoke about an hour later the rain had reduced to a gentle drizzle. She was confused for a moment and then figured that she'd fallen asleep after turning off the television. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then a movement outside caught her attention. Relena stood up and walked to the window, straining to see through the water. It looked as if someone was walking slowly towards her house. The person looked injured. Relena scrutinized the figure until it came into better view. Suddenly she gasped, not believing her eyes. Could it be?  
  
Relena tore down the stairs, flung open the front door and ran out into the rain. She stopped at the bottom of the steps leading to her house and made sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. It was Heero!  
  
Relena started running in his direction. He looked up and saw her for the first time right before she flung her arms around him in an unyielding embrace. Heero returned the hug, contented now that she was in his arms. After a few moments he pulled back so he could see her face.  
  
"Oh, Heero." she began, crying but smiling at the same time. He put a finger to her lips, then kissed her tenderly. At that moment, all the pain and loneliness of the past few weeks were washed away. He parted with her and, smiling, said the only words she really needed to hear to know that everything was going to be okay.  
  
"Aishiteru, Relena."  
  
written by KD Barton 


End file.
